The Online Citizen (TOC) Faces POFMA Directive Over Death Penalty Article

Singapore’s Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has directed The Online Citizen (TOC) to issue correction notices under the Protection from Online Falsehoods and Manipulation Act (POFMA) for an article and related social media posts published on Nov 22, 2024. The alternative news outlet was instructed to place the correction notices on its website, Facebook, Instagram, and X posts.

MHA stated that TOC’s article falsely alleged that Singapore suppresses dissenting views on the death penalty through the use of POFMA correction directions. The ministry clarified that POFMA directions are only issued when false statements of fact are communicated, and if it is in the public interest to address them.

According to MHA, the correction directions do not demand the removal of the original content or adoption of the government’s position. Instead, they require recipients to publish the government’s clarification alongside the original post to allow readers to compare the claims and clarifications.

TOC’s article also claimed that Home Affairs Minister K. Shanmugam had taken contradictory positions on Singapore’s drug policies during an interview with CNN. However, MHA argued that TOC misrepresented the minister’s statements by omitting critical context.

The ministry emphasized that Mr. Shanmugam had highlighted Singapore’s success in managing its drug problem relative to other countries, attributing it to the nation’s zero-tolerance drug policies, including the death penalty. Citing survey findings, he noted the public perception of the death penalty as a deterrent to serious crimes like drug trafficking.

MHA deemed TOC’s selective quotation of the minister misleading and factually incorrect, as it failed to reflect the context of his statements.

The government’s Factually website has also published a detailed clarification addressing the inaccuracies in TOC’s article. By Tuesday, TOC had complied with the directive by adding correction notices to its article and related social media posts.

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